Liquid storage tank



March 15, 1966 E. J. KIMM ETAL LIQUID STORAGE TANK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1963 mm MT 0,: x m m A W i c w [10M 0 Aw March 15, 1966 E. J. KlMM ETAL 3,240,264

LIQUID STORAGE TANK Filed Jan. 29, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I BY /r-ey- C. Klan/(,3): 5 4

United States Patent 3,240,264 LTQUID STORAGE TANK Ewald J. Kimm, Robert E. Preston, and Walter C. Klank,

in, Dayton, Ghio, assignors to United Aircraft Products, inn, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 254,715 15 Claims. (Cl. 165-107) This invention relates to liquid storage tanks, and particularly to such tanks as incorporated in an assembly comprising a storage tank, a heat exchanger and a pump.

An object of the invention is to construct the assembly as described as a unit in which the tank assumes a mounting relation to the pump and heat exchanger.

Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly as described in which the pump and heat exchanger are received within to become in effect a part of the storage tank.

A further object of the invention is to simplify the construction of the assembly as described, providing for more facile assembly and disassembly and incorporating concepts of removability of sub-portions of the assembly.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in an assembly as described a generally new pump unit.

Still another object of the invention is to obviate the need for special mounting devices for the heat exchanger, the latter being as noted built into the tanks.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will appear from the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section of an assembly in accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the assembly of FIG. 1, looking from the front thereof and omitting the heat exchanger and pump units;

FIG. 3 is a view, partly in diagram, of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a detailed view in cross-section taken through the pump unit;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view, partly broken away, of the pendulum pick up member and its mounting; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in section, taken substantially along the line 66 of FIG 2.

Referring to the drawings, a liquid storage tank in accordance with the illustrated embodiment of the invention finds utility in aircraft and like installations where it serves as a storage place or reservoir for a circulating liquid such as lubricating oil which in use becomes heated. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the tank comprises a shell 10 having in what may be considered the front end thereof laterally spaced apart openings 11 and 12, both circular in configuration. A mounting flange 13 is common to the openings 11 and 12 and has portions in surrounding relation to each. The opposite or back end of the shell 10 is formed with a recess 14 having an opening 15 in the longitudinal outline of oppositely disposed shell opening 11 but axially offset relative thereto.

Mounted to the flange 13, in a manner to be in inwardly projecting relation to the shell it) through opening 11, is a body means 16. At its inner end the body means 16 is received in and closes the opening 15. The opposite end of the body means 16 faces outwardly of the tank shell and has inlet and outlet means, including a projection 17, by which the circulating liquid is returned to and taken from the tank assembly. According to a feature of the invention, the body means 16 is comprised of a plurality of component elements 18, 19, 21 and 22, interfitting with one another and suitably joined together, as by brazing. The body means provides through the center thereof a long through bore 23 in which is pumping means 324,254 Patented Mar. 15, 1966 of a character and operating in a manner hereinafter more clearly to appear. A portion 24 of such pumping means projects out of the body bore 23 and is adapted to be connected to engine drive means or the like whereby the pump may be operatively driven. At the back of the shell 10, received in the recess 14, are mounting devices 25, set in the body means 16 and providing a mounting for a tachometer or the like driven through the pump means.

At the location of the opening 12 in shell 10, there is mounted to the flange 13 a heat exchanger 26 received substantially entirely within the shell 10. The heat exchanger 26 comprises an outer casing 27 in generally parallel relation to the body means 16. The casing 27 is received in the opening 12 and has its open outer end welded or otherwise secured to the flange 13. A head member 28 is seated on the flange 13 in closing relation to the opening 12 and has secured to the inner face thereof a projecting inner casing 29 which lies within outer casing 27 in a spaced nested relation thereto. Heat exchanger 26 is a tubular type exchanger having longitudinally spaced apart header plates, including a header plate 31 shown in FIG. 1, between which extend tubes 32 adapted to provide heat transference through the walls thereof between a fluid contained within inner casing 29 outside the tubes and another fluid flowing through the tubes. At least one of the spaced header plates is secured to the inner casing 29. The plates, along with tubes 32, make up the core of the heat exchanger which through the casing 2Q has a sliding mounting in outer casing 27.

The described other fluid has access to the heat exchanger by way of an opening 33 in head member 28 and leaves the heat exchanger by way of another and separated opening 34 therein. A divider member 35 partitions the space between head member 28 and plate 31 into chambers respectively communicating exclusively with the opening 33 and the opening 34.

Turning now to the diagram of FIG. 3, and continuing to refer to the heat excahnger 26, the tubes 32 are disposed between header plate 31 on the one hand and a like plate 35 on the other hand. Laterally projecting elements 37 within the inner casing 29 support the assembly of tubes 32 of which it will be understood there is a relatively large number, held in a closely spaced relationship. Outer casing 27 is closed, as is the outer end of inner casing 29, the latter providing in such outer end a turn-around chamber 38. There the fluid admitted to the heat exchanger by way of opening 33, and flowing through a communicating bank of tubes, may reverse itself and return to the outlet opening 34- by way of the other bank or group of tubes on the opposite side of partition means 35.

The inner casing 29 is formed with lateral openings 39 and 41 respectively adjacent header plates 31 and 36. A ring 42 provides both a bearing and a seal for the casing 29 within outer casing 27, and, additionally, defines separated chambers 413 and 44 on oposite sides thereof. Inner casing opening 39 communicates with the chamber 43 while inner casing opening 41 communicates with chamber 44-. The latter also communicates through a radial opening 39 in casing 27 with a flow passage 45 in the body means 16. On the opposite side of ring 42, a radial opening 4% communicates chamber 43 with a flow passage 45 in the body means 16. Passage 45 leads to and through the pump means and is a part of the system for withdrawing liquid from shell llil, as Will hereinafter more clearly appear. Passage 46 leads through strainer means 47 to a. discharge port 48. In the operation of the heat exchanger, therefore, liquid is drawn from the tank shell 19 and introduced into the outer casing 27 of the heat exchanger whence it flows through opening 41 to the interior of inner casting 29. There the oil flows over and around the core of tubes 32 and finally passes out opening 39 to chamber 43 whence it enters passage 46 and is discharged from the tank by way of port 48. A pressure relief valve assembly 49 is suitably mounted in the body means 16 to communicate with the flow passage 45. An excessive pressure results in the unseating of a valve element 51 and an escape of liquid from passage 45 through ports 52 in assembly 49 into the interior of the tank shell.

In the illustrated instance the liquid in the tank 19 is considered to be oil used as an engine lubricant and returned from the engine to the tank in a heated condition. Flowing from the tank shell for reuse, the heated oil is directed first to the heat exchanger 26. There it may pass in heat transfer relation to another fluid of a lower temperature, for example fuel, directed through the tubes 32 by way of openings 33 and 34. The oil leaving the tank is thus temperature conditioned for reuse.

The oil returning from the engine to the tank has access to a plurality of passages 5357 in the body means 16 leading to longitudinally spaced apart points in the pump bore 23. Continuations of the passages 53-57, on the opposite side of bore 23, communicate with a common passageway 58 opening through body means 16 into the interior of the shell 10.

The passage 45, conducting oil from the tank shell interior to the heat exchanger 26 also extends to the pump bore 23, and a continuation 59 thereof extends from the pump bore to a swivel connection 61 supporting a pendulum 62 having a longitudinal through intake passage 63. The pendulum device 62 is supported from the body means 16 in a manner to rock freely while maintaining communication with the passage 59 and tends to assume the upright position illustrated despite changing tank attitude. As a result, the lower or outer end of the device 62 tends to be submerged in the contained body of oil in the tank shell irrespective of shifts in the center of gravity of such contained body.

The pump means disposed in bore 23 comprises essentially a plurailty of like pumps disposed in line with one another and having a driving-driven relationship to adjoining pump components whereby a common drive from a single source may extend throughout the assembly of individual pump components. The aforesaid projecting means 24 is a part of a pump rotor 64 installed in an end bearing 65. A series of similar bearings 66-69 are longitudinally spaced apart in bore 23. Intermediate these is a split bearing 71 with interposed spring means 72 maintaining frictional contact of the parts. At the opposite end of the bore is a bearing 73 held in place by means including a retainer 74. Interposed between each adjacent pair of the described bearings in a ring shaped stator member 75 having oppositely disposed slotted portions 76 and 77 and an eccentric center opening. The stators are rotatably positioned to align the described slotted portions with adjacent enlarged areas of the flow passages laterally communicating with bore 23. The rotor 64 has a projecting skirt-like portion 78 extending through the stator 75 adjacent thereto and at reduced diameter relative to the center opening therein. Received within such skirted portion is a cylindrical pin 79 and pump vanes 81. The latter have their inner ends resting on the cylindrical pin 79 and project through slots in the skirted portion 78 of the rotor to place their opposite ends in scraping relation to the inner wall of the stator 75. The opening in stator 75 receiving rotor 64 is eccentric, as noted. Hence skirt 78 therein defines a crescent shaped chamber 80. The arrangement is thus a generally conventionally one of a rotary vane pump wherein rotary motion of rotor 64 carries the vanes 81 in a rotary sense, with the configuration of stator 75 simultaneously enforcing a reciprocable motion of the vanes. The construction and arrangement of parts is one in which liquid supplied to the pumping means by way of a flow passage on one side of the bore 23 is conducted through chamber to the extension of such flow passage on the other side thereof and directed under pressure to the common return passage 58.

Beyond the pin 79 and rotary vanes 81, the skirt 78 of the rotor 64 is in splined engagement with a projecting head portion of a succeeding rotor 82. The latter mounts pin and vane means like the means 79-81 and rotates in a stator 75 as described in conjunction with the preceding pump. Similarly the rotor 82 has a skirt portion 83 in splined engagement with a succeeding rotor 84 and this in turn mounts vane means and is connected to succeeding rotors 85, 86 and 87 in the same manner as preceding pump rotors. The final rotor 87 has an elongated skirt portion 88 in which is installed means including a hearing sleeve 89 by which such skirted portion may be connected in driven relation to the aforementioned tachometer or like device installed in recess 14.

In the illustrated instance, therefore, the pump means provides six pump units. considered scavenge pumps communicating through re spective pas-sages 53-57 with sump areas of the engine. The last pump, or that comprising rotor 87, is disposed intermediate passages 45 and 59 and hence assumes the character of a pressure pump, withdrawing oil from the tank shell by Way of pendulum intake passage 63 and directing it under pressure to and beyond heat exchanger 26.

While shown diagrammatically in FIG. 3, the pendu lum device 62 may have the structural appearance as shown in FIG. 5. As there indicated, the component 22 of the body means 16 has a laterally enlarged portion 91 into which flow passage 59 opens. A bearing sleeve 92 is in the enlarged portion 91. Means including rolling bearings 93 in the sleeve 92 mount an angled arm 94 of the pendulum device 62 which further includes dependent portion 95. The described intake passage 63 extends through both portions 94 and 95 of the pendulum and communicates at the inner end of the former with passage 59.

Further in accordance with the diagram of FIG. 3, the passages 45 and 46 are shown directly communicating with heat exchanger 26. In the actual structural form of the illustrated embodiment these flow passages communicate with the area of the heat exchanger through respective intermediate passages 96 (FIGS. 2 and 6) and 97 (FIGS. 1 and 2) in the flange 13. In general, however, the passage comprising portions 46 and 97 may be considered a part of body means mounted to the shell and supporting the pump and heat exchanger therein. At present, communication between ports and passages in the flange 13 and flow passages 45 and 46 involves an interfitting and sealed engagement of the flange with body component 19, as shown in FIG. 1 and as indicated in FIG. 6.

In accordance with a further earlier noted feature of the invention, the heat exchanger is removable. As noted, the outer casing 27 is rigidly mounted to the flange 13. Passages 96 and 97 in the flange accordingly are permanently aligned with communicating openings in the casing 27. Inner casing 29, however, is slidingly received in the bearing ring 42 and is brazed or otherwise secured at its outer open end to the head member 28. The latter is detachably mounted to the flange 13, as by bolting. When released, the head member may be pulled away from the mounting flange, and, in the process, withdraws casing 29 and its contained tubular core from outer casing 27. A heat exchanger core may thus be readily removed from and replaced in the tank shell wherever required for inspection, repair and like purposes. Advantages of containment of the heat exchanger, such as maximum integration and close coupling accordingly are achieved without loss of heat exchanger accessibility. Additionally, more oil space within the tank is provided, as compared with an arrangement recessing the heat exchanger within an external hollow of the tank.

The first five of these may be Similarly, the pump body 16 is unitarily installed in and removed from the tank shell through opening 11. The inner end thereof closes and effects a radial seal with back wall opening 15. A simple radial seal likewise is achieved at opening 11. The passages 96 and 97 open through the front of flange 13 and a radially expanded portion of the body 16 contains the passages 45 and 46. Ported opening therein are aligned with the open ends of passages 6 and 97 and surrounded by face seals between opposing surfaces of the body 15 and flange 13.

The flange 13 is common to the two laterally spaced apart openings in the tank shell 11. It is secured in a suitable manner, again as by brazing, to the shell. It may, broadly, be considered a part thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid storage tank, including a shell having a contained body of liquid, a pump and a heat exchanger in inwardly projecting mounted relation to said shell and in a laterally offset separated relation to one another, a pendulum type pick-up member suspended from said pump to reach into the contained body of liquid, a chamber in said pump communicating with the tank interior through said pick-up member, pumping means in said chamber, a liquid flowing connection from said chamber to said heat exchanger and body means forming a part of said pump, said liquid flowing connection being formed in said body means.

2. A liquid storage tank according to claim 1, characterized by another liquid flow connection from said heat exchanger to the exterior of the tank formed in said body means.

3. A liquid storage tank, including a shell having a contained body of liquid, a pump in inwardly projecting mounted relation to said shell, including body means providing a plurality of pumping chambers communicating with the interior of said shell, 2. heat exchanger in inwardly projecting mounted relation to said shell in a laterally offset separated relation to said pump for plural fluid flow therethrough and having a first flow path with its opposite ends outside said shell, said heat exchanger defining a second flow path, and passages in said body means communicating with respective ends of said second flow path, one of said passages communicating with one of said pumping chambers and the other commun cating with the tank exterior.

4. A liquid storage tank, including a shell for holding a body of liquid; a pump in inwardly projecting mounted relation to said shell, including body means providing a pumping chamber, an inlet flow pass leading from the tank exterior to said chamber and an outlet flow pass leading from said chamber to said shell interior, said body means providing another pumping chamber and further providin inlet and outlet flow passes communicating therewith, the former communicating with said shell interior; and a heat exchanger in inwardly projecting mounted relation to said shell in a laterally offset separated relation to said pump providing flow paths therethrough for different fluids, the said outlet flow paths extending from said other pumping chamber communicating with one end of one of the said flow paths provided by said heat exchanger.

5. A liquid storage tank according to claim 4, characterized by a further flow path in said body means communicating with the other end of said one flow path in said heat exchanger and extending to the exterior of the tank.

6. A liquid storage tank according to claim 4, characterized by a pendulum type pick-up member rotatably supported by said body means and comprised in the said inlet flow pass communicating with said other pumping chamher.

7. A liquid storage tank according to claim 4, characterized in that said body means is comprised of a plurality of interfitting body elements individually formed with flow paths and chamber segments and interfitting to cooperate jointiy in the defining of said passes and said chambers.

'8. A liquid storage tank, including a shell in confining contacting relation on its interior to a stored liquid, body means installed in said shell and providing a pump bore a pump means in said bore in inwardly projecting relation to said shell, said pump means comprising a plurality of aligned and interfitting components in respective drivingdriven engagement with one another individually formed with recessed configurations cooperating in the assembled position of the parts to define a plurality of aligned pumping chambers and communicating inlet and outlet fluid flow paths, certain of said paths leading to and from the interior of the tank shell and means in said pumping chambers for pumping liquid to and through said flow paths.

9. A liquid storage tank, including a shell in confining contacting relation to a stored liquid, a heat exchanger mounted to said shell in inwardly projecting relation, said heat exchanger having an outer shell portion formed with lateral openings defining the extremities of a fluid flow pass through said heat exchanger, body means installed in said shell in fixed relation to said heat exchanger therein, said body means providing individual flow paths respectively communicating with the extremities of said one flow pass in said heat exchanger, said flow passes communicating additionally respectively with the interior of the tank shell and with the exterior thereof, and a pump supported in said body means in laterally offset separated rela tion to said heat exchanger for pumping liquid from the interior of said tank shell through said flow passes in said body means to and from said heat exchanger.

it A liquid storage tank including a shell in confining contacting relation on its interior to a stored liquid, a pair of openings in side by side relation in said shell, flange means installed on said shell at said openings, said flange means having a pair of separated flow passages therein opening outside said shell at their one ends and within said shell at their opposite ends, a heat exchanger received in said shell through one of said pair of openings and having separate flow passes therein for flow of diflerent fluids therethrough, the opposite ends of one of said passes communicating with the said opposite ends of respective ones of said separated flow passages in said flange means, and pump means including a pump body received in said shell through the other one of said pair of openings, said pump body having a flow path therethrough communicating at its one end with the shell interior and at its other end with the said one end of one of said pair of separated flow passages in said flange means.

11. A liquid storage tank, including a tank shell having an opening in the wall thereof; an outer casing received in said shell through said opening, said casing having a closed inner end and an open outer end, the latter being secured to said shell and facing outward through said opening; an inner casing slidably received in said outer casing; a heat exchanger core unitarily mounted in said inner casing; a head member detachably mounted to said shell in closing relation to said opening therein, said head member being secured to the adjacent end of said inner casing; and means communicating said heat exchanger core with the interior of said shell through said casings.

12. A liquid storage tank according to claim 11, characterized by a bearing ring mounting said inner casing in said outer casing in spaced relation therein and defining chambers on opposite sides thereof, each of said casings having an opening therein communicating with each of said chambers.

'13. A liquid storage tank according to claim 11, characterized by pump means received in said shell and including a pump body having flow passages leading to and from said heat exchanger including a passage forming a part of said last named means of claim 11.

14. A liquid storage tank according to claim 11, characterized by other means communicating said heat exchanger core with the exterior of said shell through said head memher, said core providing separate passes therethrough for flow of diflerent fluids in heat transfer relation.

15. A liquid storage tank, including a tank shell having a pair of openings therein; flange means at at least one of said openings having separated flow passages therein; an assembly of nested inner and outer casings received in said shell through said one opening, said outer casing being secured to said flange means and having longitudinally spaced openings communicating with respective separated fiow passages in said flange means; bearing means in said outer casing supporting the inner casing in relatively sliding spaced relation to said outer casing and defining separated chambers between said casings communicating with respective spaced openings in said outer casing, said inner casing having longitudinally spaced openings also in communication with respective chambers, means defining separated flow paths through said inner casing for different fluids, one of said flow paths including said openings in said casings and said chambers therebetween; and pump means received in the other one of said pair of openings including a pump body having flow passages therein including a passage communicating one of the said separated flow passages in said flange means with the interior of said shell.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH W. SPRAGUE, FREDERICK L. MATTE- SON, JR., Examiners. 

1. A LIQUID STORAGE TANK, INCLUDING A SHELL HAVING A CONTAINED BODY OF LIQUID, A PUMP AND A HEAT EXCHANGER IN INWARDLY PORJECTING MOUNTED RELATION TO SAID SHELL AND IN A LATERALLY OFFSET SEPARATED RELATION TO ONE ANOTHER, A PENDULUM TYPE PICK-UP MEMBER SUSPENDED FROM SAID PUMP TO REACH INTO THE CONTAINED BODY OF LIQUID, A CHAMBER IN SAID PUMP COMMUNICATING WITH THE TANK INTERIOR THROUGH SAID PICK-UP MEMBER, PUMPING MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER, A LIQUID FLOWING CONNECTION FROM SAID CHAMBER TO SAID HEAT EXCHANGER AND BODY MEANS FORMING A PART OF SAID PUMP, SAID LIQUID FLOWING CONNECTION BEING FORMED IN SAID BODY MEANS. 